Coordinated network configuration system

ABSTRACT

A coordinated network configuration system includes a management network, a management device that is coupled to the management network and that is configured to provision networking device configurations through the management network, and a plurality of networking devices. A first networking device is coupled to the management device through the management network and receives a first networking device configuration from the management device through the management network. The first networking device then stores the first networking device configuration. The first networking device then determines that each of the plurality of networking devices have received respective networking device configurations and, in response, performs coordinated configuration operations using the first networking device configuration while each of the others of the plurality of networking devices performs the coordinated configuration operations using their respective networking device configurations. As such, a network including the plurality of networking devices is configured in a coordinated manner.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to information handlingsystems, and more particularly to the coordinated configuration ofnetworked information handling systems.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individualsand businesses seek additional ways to process and store information.One option available to users is information handling systems. Aninformation handling system generally processes, compiles, stores,and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or otherpurposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of theinformation. Because technology and information handling needs andrequirements vary between different users or applications, informationhandling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled,how the information is handled, how much information is processed,stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the informationmay be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in informationhandling systems allow for information handling systems to be general orconfigured for a specific user or specific use such as financialtransaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage,or global communications. In addition, information handling systems mayinclude a variety of hardware and software components that may beconfigured to process, store, and communicate information and mayinclude one or more computer systems, data storage systems, andnetworking systems.

Information handling systems such as for example, networking devices,are sometimes deployed over geographically distant locations and rely onremote access to configure those networking device. For example, largenumbers of switches are often deployed in different geographic locationsto provide one or more networks for a business, and are typicallyconfigured using network management systems that remotely connect to andconfigure those switches via a management network. Such mass deploymentsof switches may include a variety of different networking topologies,with the switches providing a variety of different networking features,and typically require dedicated and knowledgeable on-site personnel ateach geographic location in which the switches are deployed in order toremedy a variety of issues that arise during the complicated and tedioussteps that are required to remotely configure a large number of switchesin a network deployment using conventional methods.

For example, switches in a network are often provided configurationsthat are dependent on the configurations other switches in the network,and those configurations may require that both switches maintainconnectivity throughout the full configuration of each of the switches.However, conventional network management systems operate to configureswitches in a network deployment one-at-a-time by, for example, pushinga first configuration to a first switch (e.g., via Command LineInterface (CLI) commands, Secure Socket Shell (SSH) commands, etc.) forexecution one configuration command at a time in order to configure thefirst switch, pushing a second configuration to a second switch forexecution one configuration command at a time in order to configure thesecond switch, and so on until all of the switches in the networkdeployment have been configured. Such conventional network configurationcan raise issues, particularly when configuration command sets operateto cause interface ports on one or more of the switches to shut downand/or otherwise lose communication capabilities with the networkmanagement system.

In a specific example, the network management system may be directlyconnected to a first switch via the management network, and indirectlycoupled to a second switch via one of a plurality of links (a“management link”) between the first switch and the second switch. Inmany situations, the configuration of the first switch and the secondswitch may include placing the plurality of links between the firstswitch and the second switch into a Link Aggregation Group (LAG).However, using the conventional network configuration techniquesdiscussed above, the network management system provides the first switcha first configuration that operates to configure the first switch portson the first switch (which provide the corresponding plurality of linksto the second switch) for the LAG. However, configuration commands forsuch a first configuration will cause those first switch ports on thefirst switch to “go down” (i.e., disable communication via those firstswitch ports due to the mismatch in port configurations with the secondswitch ports on the second switch) in order to form the LAG, and thosefirst switch ports will then wait for the configuration of the secondswitch ports on the second switch (which provide the correspondingplurality of links to the first switch) for the LAG (i.e., that matchesthe LAG configuration of the first switch ports.) When the networkmanagement system then attempts to provide the second switch a secondconfiguration (i.e., that would configure the second switch ports on thesecond switch to provide their corresponding links in the LAG), it willbe unable to do so because the first switch port on the first switchthat provides the management link (e.g., a link between trunk ports thatprovides for the management and communication of other data between thefirst and second switch) to the second switch is “down” and waiting forthe configuration of the second switch port (i.e., with the matchingport configuration for the LAG.) In such situations, on-site personnelmust then go to the physical location of the second switch to apply thesecond configuration that provides the plurality of links between thefirst switch and the second switch in the LAG. These and othercomplications that arise from conventional, remote network configurationsystems increase the time needed and costs associated with configuringnetworks, as well as prevent truly remote network configurationoperations.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved networkconfiguration system.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, an Information Handling System (IHS)includes a communication subsystem; a processing system that is coupledto the communication subsystem; and a memory system that is coupled tothe processing system and that includes instruction that, when executedby the processing system, cause the processing system to provide aconfiguration engine that is configured to: receive, through thecommunication subsystem from a management device via a managementnetwork, a first networking device configuration; store the firstnetworking device configuration; and determine that each of a pluralityof networking devices that are coupled to the management device havereceived respective networking device configurations and, in response,perform coordinated configuration operations using the first networkingdevice configuration while each of the others of the plurality ofnetworking devices performs the coordinated configuration operationsusing their respective networking device configurations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of an informationhandling system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a managementdevice.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a networkingdevice.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a coordinatednetwork configuration system.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a coordinatednetwork configuration system.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method forcoordinated configuration of a network.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method forcoordinated configuration of a network.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method forcoordinated configuration of a network.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system mayinclude any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operableto compute, calculate, determine, classify, process, transmit, receive,retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, communicate, manifest,detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information,intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or otherpurposes. For example, an information handling system may be a personalcomputer (e.g., desktop or laptop), tablet computer, mobile device(e.g., personal digital assistant (PDA) or smart phone), server (e.g.,blade server or rack server), a network storage device, or any othersuitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality,and price. The information handling system may include random accessmemory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a centralprocessing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, and/orother types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of theinformation handling system may include one or more disk drives, one ormore network ports for communicating with external devices as well asvarious input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse,touchscreen and/or a video display. The information handling system mayalso include one or more buses operable to transmit communicationsbetween the various hardware components.

In one embodiment, IHS 100, FIG. 1, includes a processor 102, which isconnected to a bus 104. Bus 104 serves as a connection between processor102 and other components of IHS 100. An input device 106 is coupled toprocessor 102 to provide input to processor 102. Examples of inputdevices may include keyboards, touchscreens, pointing devices such asmouses, trackballs, and trackpads, and/or a variety of other inputdevices known in the art. Programs and data are stored on a mass storagedevice 108, which is coupled to processor 102. Examples of mass storagedevices may include hard discs, optical disks, magneto-optical discs,solid-state storage devices, and/or a variety other mass storage devicesknown in the art. IHS 100 further includes a display 110, which iscoupled to processor 102 by a video controller 112. A system memory 114is coupled to processor 102 to provide the processor with fast storageto facilitate execution of computer programs by processor 102. Examplesof system memory may include random access memory (RAM) devices such asdynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), solid state memorydevices, and/or a variety of other memory devices known in the art. Inan embodiment, a chassis 116 houses some or all of the components of IHS100. It should be understood that other buses and intermediate circuitscan be deployed between the components described above and processor 102to facilitate interconnection between the components and the processor102.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an embodiment of a management device 200 isillustrated that may be used in the coordinated network configurationsystems discussed below. In some embodiments, the management device 200may be the IHS 100 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1, and/or mayinclude some or all of the components of the IHS. While the managementdevice 200 is illustrated and described as a single management device(e.g., a server device, a desktop computer, a laptop/notebook computer,a tablet computer, a phone, and/or a variety of other management devicesknown in the art), the management device 200 may be provided by morethan one device (e.g., a plurality of server devices or other computingdevices) while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the management device 200 includes a chassis202 that houses the components of the management device 200, only someof which are illustrated in FIG. 2. For example, the chassis 202 mayhouse a processing system (not illustrated, but which may include theprocessor 102 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1) and a memorysystem (not illustrated, but which may include the system memory 114discussed above with reference to FIG. 1) that includes instructionsthat, when executed by the processing system, cause the processingsystem to provide a management engine 204 that is configured to performthe functions of the management engines and management devices discussedbelow.

The chassis 202 may also house a storage system (not illustrated, butwhich may include the storage device 108 discussed above with referenceto FIG. 1) that is coupled to the management engine 204 (e.g., via acoupling between the storage system and the processing system) and thatincludes a configuration database 206 that is configured to store thenetworking device configurations discussed below. The chassis 202 mayalso house a communication subsystem 208 that is coupled to themanagement engine 204 (e.g., via a coupling between the communicationsubsystem 208 and the processing system) and that may include a NetworkInterface Controller (NIC), a wireless communication subsystem (e.g., aWiFi subsystem, a Bluetooth subsystem, etc.), as well as ports or otherconnectors that are configured to connect to the management networkdiscussed below. While a specific management device 200 has beenillustrated and described, one of skill in the art in possession of thepresent disclosure will recognize that management devices may include avariety of components other than those described above and that providefor the performance of conventional management device functionality, aswell as the functionality discussed below, while remaining within thescope of the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an embodiment of a networking device 300 isillustrated that may be used in the coordinated network configurationsystems discussed below. In some embodiments, the networking device 300may be the IHS 100 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1, and/or mayinclude some or all of the components of the IHS. While the networkingdevice 300 is illustrated and described as a device that performsnetworking functionality (e.g., a switch device, a router device, anaccess point device, and/or a variety of other networking devices knownin the art), one of skill in the art in possession of the presentdisclosure will recognize that other types of devices (e.g., serverdevice, storage device, etc.) may benefit from the teachings of thepresent disclosure (i.e., may benefit from the coordinated configurationoperations discussed below) and thus will fall within its scope. In theillustrated embodiment, the networking device 300 includes a chassis 302that houses the components of the networking device 300, only some ofwhich are illustrated in FIG. 3. For example, the chassis 202 may housea processing system (not illustrated, but which may include theprocessor 102 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1) and a memorysystem (not illustrated, but which may include the system memory 114discussed above with reference to FIG. 1) that includes instructionsthat, when executed by the processing system, cause the processingsystem to provide a coordinated configuration engine 304 that isconfigured to perform the functions of the coordinated configurationengines and networking devices discussed below. In a specific example,the coordinated configuration engine 304 may be provided by one or morecontainer applications (e.g., JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)applications) that are provided in an application container and thatoperate within an operating system provided on the networking device300.

The chassis 302 may also house a storage system (not illustrated, butwhich may include the storage device 108 discussed above with referenceto FIG. 1) that is coupled to the coordinated configuration engine 304(e.g., via a coupling between the storage system and the processingsystem) and that includes a configuration database 306 that isconfigured to store the networking device configurations discussedbelow. For example, the storage system may include a cache that providesthe configuration database 306 discussed below. The chassis 302 may alsohouse a communication subsystem 208 that is coupled to the coordinatedconfiguration engine 304 (e.g., via a coupling between the communicationsubsystem 208 and the processing system) and that may include a NetworkInterface Controller (NIC), a wireless communication subsystem (e.g., aWiFi subsystem, a Bluetooth subsystem, etc.), as well as ports or otherconnectors that are configured to connect to the management networkand/or the other networking devices discussed below. While a specificnetworking device 300 has been illustrated and described, one of skillin the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize thatnetworking devices and/or other computing devices may include a varietyof components other than those described above and that provide for theperformance of conventional networking device functionality and/or othercomputing device functionality, as well as the functionality discussedbelow, while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, different embodiments of the coordinatednetwork configuration system of the present disclosure are illustratedthat include a coordinated network configuration system 400 thatprovides each of its networking devices with a direct connection to amanagement device, and a coordinated network configuration system 500that provides at least one networking device without a direct connectionto a management device. However, one of skill in the art in possessionof the present disclosure will recognize that a variety of differentnetwork configurations that may include a variety of different devicesmay benefit from the teachings of the present disclosure and thus areenvisioned as falling within its scope.

FIG. 4 illustrates the coordinated network configuration system 400 thatincludes a management device 402 that may be the management device 200discussed above with reference to FIG. 2. As such, the management device402 may be the IHS 100 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1, and/ormay include some or all of the components of the IHS 100. In theillustrated embodiment, the management device 402 is coupled to anetworking device 404 a, a networking device 404 b, and up to anetworking device 404 c, although one of skill in the art in possessionof the present disclosure will recognize that the management device 402may be coupled to a single networking device, or a different number ofnetworking device than is illustrated, while remaining within the scopeof the present disclosure. For example, one or more ports provided bythe communication subsystem 208 in the management device 200/402 may beconnected to one or more ports provided by the communication subsystems308 in each of the networking devices 300/404 a/404 b/404 c to providerespective management network connections 406 a, 406 b, and up to 406 cthat provide a management network (e.g., a network that provides for themanagement of the networking devices, as well as other datacommunications known in the art.) In an embodiment, the managementnetwork may be provided by in-band management networks, with themanagement network connections 406 a-406 c provided by in-bandmanagement network connections. However, in some embodiments, theutilization of out-of-band management networks and out-of-bandmanagement network connections may fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure as well.

In the illustrated embodiment, the networking device 404 a is coupled tothe networking device 404 b, and one of skill in the art in possessionof the present disclosure will recognize that any networking device inthe coordinated network configuration system 400 may be coupled to anyother networking device in the coordinated network configuration system400 while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. Forexample, one or more ports provided by the communication subsystem 308in the networking device 300/404 a may be connected to one or more portsprovided by the communication subsystem 308 in the networking device300/404 b to provide respective links 408 a, 408 b, and up to 408 c.However, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosurewill recognize that networking devices may be coupled together in thecoordinated network configuration system 400 by a single link, or adifferent number of links than is illustrated, while remaining withinthe scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates the coordinated network configuration system 500 thatis substantially similar to the coordinated network configuration system400, and as such similar elements have been provided the same referencenumbers. However, the coordinated network configuration system 500illustrates how networking devices may be coupled to other networkingdevices that are not directly connected to the management device 402 viathe management network (i.e., via a management network connectionsimilar to the management network connections 406 a-c). In theillustrated embodiment, the networking device 404 a is coupled to anetworking device 502 that is not directly connected to the managementdevice 402 via the management network, and one of skill in the art inpossession of the present disclosure will recognize that any networkingdevice (e.g., any of the networking devices 404 b and 404 c) in thecoordinated network configuration system 500 may be coupled to othernetworking devices that are not directly connected to the managementdevice 402 via the management network while remaining within the scopeof the present disclosure.

For example, one or more ports provided by the communication subsystem308 in the networking device 300/404 a may be connected to one or moreports provided by the communication subsystem 308 in the networkingdevice 300/502 to provide respective links 504 a, 504 b, and up to 504c. However, one of skill in the art in possession of the presentdisclosure will recognize a networking device (which is directlyconnected to the management device 402 via the management network) maybe coupled to a networking device (without a direct connection to themanagement device 402 via the management network) in the coordinatednetwork configuration system 500 by a single link, or a different numberof links than is illustrated, while remaining within the scope of thepresent disclosure. While the coordinated network configuration system500 illustrates a networking device (i.e., the networking device 404 a)directly connected to one other networking device (i.e., the networkingdevice 502) that is not directly connected to the management device 402via the management network, networking devices with direct connectionsto the management device 402 via the management network may be directlyconnected to or coupled to any number of other networking devices thatare not directly connected to the management device 402 via themanagement network. For example, the networking device 404 a may bedirectly connected to multiple networking devices (other than thenetworking device 502) that are not directly connected to the managementdevice 402 via the management network. Furthermore, the networkingdevice 502 may be directly connected to one or more networking devicesthat are not directly connected to the networking device 404 a or themanagement device 402 via the management network, while each of thoseone or more networking devices may be connected to other networkingdevices that are not directly connected to the networking device 502,the networking device 404 a, or the management device 402 via themanagement network, and so on.

Referring now to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, embodiments of methods forcoordinated configuration of a network are illustrated. As discussedbelow, the systems of the present disclosure may operate according tothe methods discussed below to provide a plurality of networking devicesoperating in a coordinated manner to apply at least a portion of theirconfigurations at substantially the same time so that the network iscompletely configured remotely and without the need for user oradministrator intervention. As discussed above, in a network deployment,configurations for networking devices may be dependent on configurationsof other networking device, and those configurations may require thatboth networking devices maintain at least some continuity in theirconnectivity with each other and/or the management device throughout atleast a portion of their configuration. Furthermore, conventionalnetwork management systems configure networking devices in a networkdeployment one-at-a-time, which raises issues, particularly whenconfiguration commands operate to cause interface ports on thenetworking devices to shut down and/or lose communication capabilitieswith each other and/or the network management system. The systems of thepresent disclosure operate to remedy these and similar issues byproviding respective configurations to each of the networking devices,and then having the networking devices apply those configurations in acoordinated manner. Furthermore, the networking devices may operate toanalyze their configurations along with the configurations of othernetworking devices in the network to determine whether the applicationof those configurations may cause any issues that will require user oradministrator intervention and, if an issue will arise, stopconfiguration operations and/or provide a warning of possible issues tothe user or administrator before those configurations are applied.

In the discussions below, FIG. 6 provides an embodiment of a method 600for coordinated configuration of a network in which each of a pluralityof networking devices that are to-be configured includes a directconnection to a management device. In the discussions below, FIG. 7provides an embodiment of a method 700 for coordinated configuration ofa network in which at least one of a plurality of networking devicesthat are to-be configured does not include a direct connection to amanagement device. In the discussions below, FIG. 8 provides anembodiment of a method 800 for coordinated configuration of a network inwhich at least one of the networking devices that are to-be configuredperforms analysis of its networking device configuration, along with atleast one other networking device configuration of at least one othernetworking device in the network, to determine whether coordinatedconfiguration using those networking device configurations will resultin remote configuration issues such as a loss of communication with amanagement device. However, one of skill in the art in possession of thepresent disclosure will recognize that some or all of the differentmethods discussed below may be combined to perform differentcombinations of the functionality discussed below while remaining withinthe scope of the present disclosure. In a specific example, prior to oras part of each of the methods 600, 700, and 800, the networking devicesmay have been installed and all cabling connected between thosenetworking devices and the management device (e.g., as per a networkdiagram), with the networking devices powered on or otherwiseinitialized and operating in a default configuration that provides theircommunication subsystem ports in an access port mode without any linkaggregation.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 6, the method 600 begins at block 602 where afirst networking device receives a first networking device configurationfrom a management device. In an embodiment, at block 602, the managementengine 204 in the management device 200/402 may operate to identify anetworking device configuration for the networking device 404 a, thenreceive, generate, or retrieve that networking device configuration(e.g., from its configuration database 206), and transmit thatnetworking device configuration over the management network connection406 a via its communication subsystem 208 to the networking device 404a. In response, at block 602 the coordinated configuration engine 304 inthe networking device 300/404 a may receive that networking deviceconfiguration through the management network connection 406 a via itscommunication subsystem 308. In a specific example, each of thenetworking devices 404 a-404 c may be Internet Protocol (IP)addressable, and any of a variety of secure protocols (e.g., HyperTextTransport Protocol Secure (HTTPS)) may be used to implement a secureconnection with the management device 402 for transmittal of thenetworking device configurations.

Similarly, at block 602, the management engine 204 in the managementdevice 200/402 may operate to identify networking device configurationsfor each of the networking devices in the network (e.g., networkingdevices 404 b and up to 404 c), then receive, generate, or retrievethose networking device configurations (e.g., from its configurationdatabase 206), and transmit those networking device configurations overthe management network connections (e.g., the management connections 406b and up to 406 c, respectively) via its communication subsystem 208 tothe networking devices (e.g., the networking devices 404 b and up to 406c.) In response, at block 602 the coordinated configuration engines 304in the networking devices 300 (e.g., the networking devices 404 a and upto 404 b) may receive those networking device configurations,respectively, through their management network connections (e.g., themanagement network connections 406 b and up to 406 c) via theircommunication subsystems 308. In an embodiment, each networking deviceconfiguration provided to respective networking devices at block 602 mayinclude the entire command set required to completely configure thatnetworking device. However the provisioning of partial command sets atblock 602 are envisioned as falling within the scope of the presentdisclosure as well.

In some embodiments, the networking device configurations provided bythe management device 402 to the networking devices 404 a-404 c may eachbe different (e.g., a first networking device configuration may beprovided to a first networking device, a second networking deviceconfiguration may be provided to a second networking device, etc.).However, in other embodiments, some or all of the networking deviceconfigurations provided by the management device 402 to the networkingdevices 404 a-404 c may be the same (e.g., a first networking deviceconfiguration provided to a first networking device may be the same as asecond networking device configuration provided to a second networkingdevice such that two or more of the networking devices 404 a-404 c mayreceive the same networking device configuration). Furthermore, whileeach of the networking devices 404 a-c is discussed as receiving itsrespective networking device configuration via its dedicated managementnetwork connection 406 a-406 c, respectively, networking devices (e.g.,the networking device 404 a) may receive (from the management device402) a networking device configuration for another networking devicethat may have a dedicated management network connection (e.g., thenetworking device 404 b with the management network connection 406 b),and then forward that networking device configuration to that othernetworking device while remaining within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

In many embodiments, at block 602, each networking device receiving anetworking device configuration may operate to verify that it hasreceived an authorized, complete, and/or otherwise valid networkingdevice configuration. For example, at block 602, the coordinatedconfiguration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 a may operateto verify a checksum that was provided with its networking deviceconfiguration by the management device 402. In response to validatingthe checksum provided with its networking device configuration, thecoordinated configuration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 amay proceed to block 604 of the method 600.

However, in response to determining that the checksum provided with itsnetworking device configuration is not valid, the coordinatedconfiguration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 a may discardthe networking device configuration received at block 602 and/or send arequest to the management device 402 (e.g., via its management networkconnection 406 a) to resend its networking device configuration (or aportion of its networking device configuration), and one of skill in theart in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that theprocess of validating the checksum in a received networking deviceconfiguration and requesting resending of networking deviceconfigurations may be repeated until a valid networking deviceconfiguration (e.g., a networking device configuration with a validchecksum) is received, or the operation times out. While only thenetworking device 404 a has been described as validating its networkingdevice configuration, one of skill in the art in possession of thepresent disclosure will recognize that any of the networking devices 404b-404 c may operate in substantially the same manner while remainingwithin the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, while checksumoperations have been described for use in validating networking deviceconfigurations, other networking device configuration and/or datastructure validation techniques are envisioned as falling within thescope of the present disclosure as well. In a specific example, if anynetworking device in the coordinated network configuration system 400determines that it has not received a valid networking deviceconfiguration (e.g., it has not received a full command set) due to aloss of communication or other issue, that networking device may send arequest to resume transmittal of that networking device configurationfrom the point when communication was lost so that the remainder of thecommand set is retrieved, or request a resend of the entire command set.

The method 600 then proceeds to block 604 where the first networkingdevice stores the first networking device configuration. In anembodiment, at block 604 the coordinated configuration engine 304 in thenetworking device 300/404 a may operate to store the networking deviceconfiguration (which it received from the management device 402 at block602) in its configuration database 306. For example, the coordinatedconfiguration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 a may operateto cache the networking device configuration at block 604. Similarly, atblock 604, the coordinated configuration engines 304 in the othernetworking devices in the network (e.g., the networking devices 404 band up to 404 c) may operate to store the networking deviceconfiguration (which they received from the management device 402 atblock 602) in their configuration databases 306. As such, in someembodiments, following the receipt of a valid networking deviceconfiguration, each of the networking devices 404 a-404 c in thecoordinated network configuration system 400 may operate to store thosenetworking device configurations (e.g., in their respectiveconfiguration databases 306.)

The method 600 then proceeds to decision block 606 where the firstnetworking device determines whether other networking devices havereceived their respective networking device configurations. In someembodiments, the coordinated configuration engine 304 in each networkingdevice 300 may operate, upon receiving and/or storing its networkingdevice configuration at blocks 602 and/or 604, to start a timer. Atdecision block 606, the coordinated configuration engine 304 in eachnetworking device 300 may then determine whether some period of time haselapsed following the start of that timer in order to determine whetherthe other networking devices in the coordinated network configurationsystem 400 have received their respective networking deviceconfigurations. For example, the management engine 204 in the managementdevice 200/402 may provide a predetermined time period along with eachnetworking device configuration that is provisioned at block 602, andthat predetermined time period may be a time period that has beenprovided to (or determined by) the management engine 204 to be a timeperiod within which each of the networking devices 404 a-404 c shouldreceive their respective networking device configurations (and, in somesituations, may take into account the time needed to request resendingof networking device configurations in the event one or more of thenetworking devices 404 a-404 c receives an invalid networking deviceconfiguration, discussed above.) In another example, the period of timethat must elapse following the start of the timer (i.e., to determinethat the other networking devices have received their respectivenetworking device configurations) may be provided to or determined bythe coordinated configuration engines 304 in the networking devices300). As such, at decision block 606, each networking device 404 a-404 cmay determine whether the other networking devices in the coordinatednetwork configuration system 400 have received their respectivenetworking device configurations if a time period has passed followingthe receipt and/or storage of its networking device configurationprovided by the management device 402.

In other embodiments, the coordinated configuration engine 304 in eachnetworking device 300 may operate, upon receiving and/or storing itsnetworking device configuration at blocks 602 and/or 604, to send anetworking device configuration confirmation message. For example, thecoordinated configuration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 amay receive and/or store its respective networking device configurationand, in response, may send a networking device configurationconfirmation message through the management network connection 406 a viaits communication subsystem 308 to the management device 402. Inresponse, the management engine 204 in the management device 200/402 mayreceive the networking device configuration confirmation message fromthe networking device 404 a through the management network connection406 a via its communication subsystem 208. While only the networkingdevice 404 a has been described as sending a networking deviceconfiguration confirmation message in response to receiving and/orstoring its respective networking device configuration, one of skill inthe art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that anyof the networking devices 404 b-404 c may operate in substantially thesame manner while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure.

In response to receiving the networking device configurationconfirmation messages from the networking device(s) 404 a-404 c, themanagement engine 204 may operate to send coordinated configurationinitiation messages to the networking device(s) 404 a-404 c. In anembodiment, the management engine 204 in the management device 200/402may determine that it has received (e.g., via its communicationsubsystem 208) a networking device configuration confirmation messagefrom each of the networking devices 404 a-404 c in the coordinatednetwork configuration system 400 and, in response, send (e.g., via itscommunication subsystem 208) a coordinated configuration initiationmessage to each of those networking devices 404 a-404 c via theirrespective management network connections 406 a-406 c. However, inanother embodiment, the management engine 204 in the management device200/402 may determine that it has received (e.g., via its communicationsubsystem 208) a networking device configuration confirmation messagefrom some subset of the networking devices 404 a-404 c in thecoordinated network configuration system 400 and, in response, send(e.g., via its communication subsystem 208) a coordinated configurationinitiation message to that subset of the networking devices 404 a-404 cvia their respective management network connections. For example, themanagement engine 204 in the management device 200/402 may determine ithas received networking device configuration confirmation messages froma subset of networking devices, may determine that the configuration ofthat subset of networking devices (using their respective networkingdevice configurations) will not cause any issues with the network (e.g.,will not prevent communication between the management device 402 and anynetworking device in the coordinated network configuration system 400)and, in response, send coordinated configuration initiation messages tothat subset of the networking devices substantially as described above.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the coordinated configuration engine304 in one or more of the networking devices 300 may operate, uponreceiving and/or storing its networking device configuration at blocks602 and/or 604, to send a coordinated configuration initiation messageto other networking devices in the coordinated network configurationsystem 400 (i.e., the networking devices 404 a-404 c may confirm receiptof their networking device configurations independent from themanagement device 402.) For example, the coordinated configurationengine 304 in the networking device 300/404 a may receive and/or storeits respective networking device configuration and, in response, maysend a coordinated configuration initiation message through the one ormore links 408-408 c via its communication subsystem 308 to thenetworking device 404 b. In response, the coordinated configurationengine 304 in the networking device 300/404 b may receive thecoordinated configuration initiation message from the networking device404 a via its communication subsystem 308. While only the networkingdevices 404 a and 404 b have been described as sending and receiving,respectively, a coordinated configuration initiation message, one ofskill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognizethat any of the networking devices 404 b-404 c may operate insubstantially the same manner while remaining within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

In an embodiment, at decision block 606, the coordinated configurationengine 304 in each networking device 300 may then determine whether ithas received a coordinated configuration initiation message in order todetermine whether the other networking devices in the coordinatednetwork configuration system 400 have received their respectivenetworking device configurations. For example, the coordinatedconfiguration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 a maydetermine that it has received (e.g., through its communicationsubsystem 308) a coordinated configuration initiation message (e.g.,from the management device 402 or other networking device) and, inresponse, determine at decision block 606 that the other networkingdevices in the coordinated network configuration system 400 havereceived their respective networking device configurations. As such, atdecision block 606, each networking device 404 a-404 c may determinewhether the other networking devices in the coordinated networkconfiguration system 400 have received their respective networkingdevice configurations if they receive a respective coordinatedconfiguration initiation message (e.g., from the management device 402or another networking device.)

If, at decision block 606, the first networking device determines thatother networking devices have not received their respective networkingdevice configurations, the method 600 returns to decision block 606. Forexample, the coordinated configuration engine 304 in the any of thenetworking devices 404 a-404 c may determine that a time period has notpassed since the receipt and/or storage of its networking deviceconfiguration and, in response, may return to decision block 606 to waitfor that time period to pass. In another example, the coordinatedconfiguration engine 304 in the any of the networking devices 404 a-404c may determine that no coordinated configuration initiation message hasbeen received (e.g., from the management device 402 or anothernetworking device) and, in response, may return to decision block 606 towait for a coordinated configuration initiation message to be received.While the method 600 is illustrated as looping back through decisionblock 606 repeatedly until the first networking device determines thatthe other networking devices have received their respective networkingdevice configurations, one of skill in the art in possession of thepresent disclosure will recognize that the method 600 may time out (and,for example, end without configuration of some or all the networkingdevices) if the method 600 loops back through decision block 606 apredetermined number of times (or for a predetermined amount of time).

If, at decision block 606, the first networking device determines thatother networking devices have received their respective networkingdevice configurations, the method 600 then proceeds to block 608 wherethe first networking device performs coordinated configurationoperations using its first networking device configuration while each ofthe other networking devices perform coordinated configurationoperations using their respective networking device configurations. Inan embodiment, the coordinated configuration engine 304 in thenetworking device 404 a may determine that a time period has passedsince the receipt and/or storage of its networking device configurationand, in response, may proceed to block 608 to perform coordinatedconfiguration operations using its networking device configuration.Furthermore, the coordinated configuration engines 304 in the networkingdevices 404 b and 404 c may determine that a time period has passedsince the receipt and/or storage of their networking deviceconfigurations and, in response, may proceed to block 608 to performcoordinated configuration operations using their networking deviceconfigurations. In another embodiment, the coordinated configurationengine 304 in the networking device 404 a may determine that it hasreceived a coordinated configuration initiation message and, inresponse, may proceed to block 608 to perform coordinated configurationoperations using its networking device configuration. Furthermore, thecoordinated configuration engines 304 in the networking devices 404 band 404 c may determine that they have received respective coordinatedconfiguration initiation messages and, in response, may proceed to block608 to perform coordinated configuration operations using theirnetworking device configurations.

Coordinated configuration operations may involve each of the networkingdevices 404 a-404 c, or a subset of the networking devices 404 a-404 c(e.g., the subset of networking devices 404 a-404 c that received thecoordinated configuration initiation messages, discussed above),applying their respective networking device configurations at the sametime, or at substantially the same time. Furthermore, coordinatedconfiguration operations may be preceded or followed by the applicationof other configuration elements or the performance of otherconfiguration operations that may not require the coordinatedconfiguration that applies networking device configurations at the sametime or substantially the same time. In an embodiment, the applicationof networking device configurations during coordinated configurationoperations may include the configuration, by a plurality of networkingdevices, of one or more links between those networking devices at thesame time or substantially the same time such that the configuration ofthose one or more links is completed without the need for user oradministrator intervention. For example, at block 608, the coordinatedconfiguration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 a may operateto configure some subset of the plurality of links 408 a, 408 b, and upto 408 c at the same time, or at substantially the same time, as thecoordinated configuration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 boperates to configure that same subset of the plurality of links 408 a,408 b, and up to 408 c. As such, coordinated configuration atsubstantially the same time may include application of any or all ofnetworking device configuration command sets by multiple networkingdevices in a manner that completes the configuration provided by thosenetworking device configuration command sets without the need for manualintervention by a user or administrator with those networking devices,when the application of any or all of networking device configurationcommand sets by the multiple networking devices at different times wouldnot result in the completion of the configuration provided by thosenetworking device configuration command sets without the need for manualintervention by a user or administrator with those networking devices

In a specific example, the networking devices 404 a and 404 b mayperform coordinated configuration operations to configure each of asubset of the plurality of links 408 a, 408 b, and up to 408 c into aLink Aggregation Group (LAG). However, other coordinated configurationoperations may include assigning port(s) to a Virtual Local Area Network(VLAN), designating port(s) as trunking ports, configuring MaximumTransmission Unit (MTU) sizes, applying Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)characteristics, and/or performing a variety of other networking deviceconfigurations known in the art. Furthermore, any of the networkingdevices 404 a-404 c may operate to perform similar coordinatedconfiguration operations at block 608 while remaining within the scopeof the present disclosure. Further still, before and/or after theperformance of the coordinated configuration operations at block 608,any or all of the coordinated configuration engines 304 in thenetworking devices 300/404 a may operate to perform other configurationoperations (e.g., the other configuration operations that may notrequire coordinated configuration that applies networking deviceconfigurations at the same time or substantially the same time,discussed above) while remaining within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Thus, the method 600 provides for the distribution of networking deviceconfigurations to a plurality of networking devices (e.g., via theirdirect management network connections to a management device), and theapplication of at least a portion of those networking deviceconfigurations by those networking devices in a coordinated manner suchthat those portions of networking device configurations are applied tothose networking devices at the same time or substantially the sametime. The application of the networking device configurations torespective networking devices at the same or substantially the same timeis performed in order to apply those configurations while not causingissues such as the disablement of communications between thosenetworking devices and/or the management device in a manner thatprevents the remaining configuration of those (or other) networkingdevices in the network. As such, the coordinated configuration performedusing at least a portion of the networking device configurations may bedesigned such that even if coordinated configuration operationstemporarily disable communications, they do so in a way that does notprevent the completion of the configuration of the network without theneed for user or administrator intervention (i.e., an automated remotenetwork configuration.)

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 7, another embodiment of the methods of thepresent disclosure is illustrated. The method 700 begins at block 702where a first networking device receives a first networking deviceconfiguration and a second networking configuration from a managementdevice. In an embodiment, at block 702, the management engine 204 in themanagement device 200/402 may operate to identify networking deviceconfigurations for the networking device 404 a and the networking device502, then receive, generate, or retrieve those networking deviceconfigurations (e.g., from its configuration database 206), and transmitthose networking device configurations over the management networkconnection 406 a via its communication subsystem 208 to the networkingdevice 404 a. In response, at block 602 the coordinated configurationengine 304 in the networking device 300/404 a may receive thosenetworking device configurations through the management networkconnection 406 a via its communication subsystem 308.

At block 702, the management device may determine whether a directlyconnected first networking device is connected to a second networkingdevice that does not have a direct connection to the management device402 and, in response, determine that the first networking device shouldreceive networking device configurations for itself and the secondnetworking devices. Thus, using the coordinated network configurationsystem 500 illustrated in FIG. 5, the management engine 204 in themanagement device 402 may determine that the networking device 404 awith the direct management network connection 406 a is connected to thenetworking device 502 without a direct connection to the managementdevice 402 and, in response, retrieve and transmit networking deviceconfigurations for the networking device 404 a and the networking device502 to the networking device 404 a. Similarly, networking deviceconfigurations for networking devices connected to the networkingdevices 404 b-404 c (but with no direct connection to the managementdevice 402) may be provided to those networking device 404 b-404 c inthe same manner. Furthermore, networking device configurations fornetworking devices that are connected to networking devices with nodirect connection to the management device 402 (e.g., for a networkingdevice connected to the networking device 502, not illustrated) may beprovided in the same manner (e.g., provided to the networking device 404a, which then provides that networking device configuration to thenetworking device 502, which then provides that networking deviceconfiguration to the networking device to which it is to-be applied.)

Similarly as discussed above, at block 702, the management engine 204 inthe management device 200/402 may operate to identify networking deviceconfigurations for each of the networking devices in the network (e.g.,networking devices 404 b and up to 404 c), then receive, generate, orretrieve those networking device configurations (e.g., from itsconfiguration database 206), and transmit those networking deviceconfigurations over the management network connections (e.g., themanagement connections 406 b and up to 406 c, respectively) via itscommunication subsystem 208 to the networking devices (e.g., thenetworking devices 404 b and up to 406 c.) In response, at block 702 thecoordinated configuration engines 304 in the networking devices 300(e.g., the networking devices 404 a and up to 404 b) may receive thosenetworking device configurations, respectively, through their managementnetwork connections (e.g., the management network connections 406 b andup to 406 c) via their communication subsystems 308. As discussed above,the networking device configurations provided by the management device402 to the networking devices 404 a-404 c and 502 may each be different(e.g., a first networking device configuration may be provided to afirst networking device, a second networking device configuration may beprovided to a second networking device, etc.). However, in otherembodiments, some or all of the networking device configurationsprovided by the management device 402 to the networking devices 404a-404 c and 502 may be the same (e.g., two or more of the networkingdevices 404 a-404 c and 502 may receive the same networking deviceconfiguration). Furthermore, while each of the networking devices 404a-c is discussed as receiving its respective networking deviceconfigurations via its dedicated management network connection 406 a-406c, respectively, networking devices may receive (from the managementdevice 402) a networking device configuration for another networkingdevice that may have a dedicated management network connection, and thenforward that networking device configuration to that other networkingdevice while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure.

In many embodiments, at block 702, each networking device receiving anetworking device configuration may operate to verify that it hasreceived an authorized, complete, and/or otherwise valid networkingdevice configuration. For example, at block 702, the coordinatedconfiguration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 a may operateto verify checksums provided with its networking device configurationsby the management device 402. In response to validating the checksumsprovided with its networking device configurations, the coordinatedconfiguration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 a may proceedto block 604 of the method 600.

However, in response to determining that the checksums provided with oneor more of its networking device configuration(s) are not valid, thecoordinated configuration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 amay discard those networking device configuration(s) received at block602 and/or send a request to the management device 402 (e.g., via itsmanagement network connection 406 a) to resend one or more networkingdevice configuration(s), and one of skill in the art in possession ofthe present disclosure will recognize that the process of validating thechecksum in a received networking device configuration and requestingresending of networking device configurations may be repeated until avalid networking device configuration (e.g., a networking deviceconfiguration with a valid checksum) is received, or the operation timesout. While only the networking device 404 a has been described asvalidating multiple networking device configurations (e.g., one foritself, and one for the networking device 502), one of skill in the artin possession of the present disclosure will recognize that any of thenetworking devices 404 b-404 c may operate in substantially the samemanner (e.g., with a connected networking device similar to thenetworking device 502) while remaining within the scope of the presentdisclosure. Furthermore, while checksum operations have been describedfor use in validating networking device configurations, other networkingdevice configuration and/or data structure validation techniques areenvisioned as falling within the scope of the present disclosure aswell.

The method 700 then proceeds to block 704 where the first networkingdevice stores the first networking device configuration and sends thesecond networking device configuration to a second networking device forstorage. In an embodiment, the networking device 404 a may operate tostore its networking device configuration in substantially the samemanner as discussed above, while operating to send a networking deviceconfiguration to the networking device 502. For example, the coordinatedconfiguration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 a may operateto send the networking device configuration for the networking device502 (i.e., that was received from the management device 402) through itscommunication subsystem 308 and via the one or more of the links 504a-504 c to the networking device 502. In response, the coordinatedconfiguration engine 304 in the networking device 300/502 may receivethat networking device configuration via its communication subsystem 308and store that networking device configuration in its configurationdatabase 306. While the networking device 404 a is illustrated anddescribed as providing a networking device configuration (received fromthe management device 402) to a single networking device 502, any numberof the networking devices in the coordinated network configurationsystems of the present disclosure may rely on each other to ensure thatnetworking device configurations are forwarded across any number ofnetworking devices (e.g., using signature/receipt/notificationtechniques known in the art) to be provided for application on a desirednetworking device.

In some examples, rather than having the networking device 404 a verifythe networking device configuration that was provided for the networkingdevice 502 at block 702, the coordinated configuration engine 304 in thenetworking device 300/502 may operate to verify a checksum that wasprovided with its networking device configurations by the managementdevice 402. In response to validating the checksum provided with itsnetworking device configuration, the coordinated configuration engine304 in the networking device 300/502 may proceed to decision block 604of the method 600. However, in response to determining that the checksumprovided with its networking device configuration is not valid, thecoordinated configuration engine 304 in the networking device 300/502may discard that networking device configuration received at block 704and/or send a request to the networking device 404 a (for forwarding tothe management device 402 via its management network connection 406 a)to resend the networking device configuration, and one of skill in theart in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that thisprocess of validating the checksum in a received networking deviceconfiguration and requesting resending of networking deviceconfigurations may be repeated until a valid networking deviceconfiguration (e.g., a networking device configuration with a validchecksum) is received, or the operation times out.

The method 700 then proceeds to decision block 606 where the firstnetworking device determines whether other networking devices havereceived their respective networking device configurations insubstantially the same manner as discussed above with reference to themethod 600. In many embodiments, the networking device 502 may operateat decision block 606 substantially as discussed above to determinewhether a time period has passed since receiving and/or storing itsnetworking device configuration in order to determine whether the othernetworking devices have received their respective networking deviceconfigurations. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the networking device502 may operate substantially as discussed above to send network deviceconfiguration confirmation messages to the networking device 404 a (forforwarding to the management device 402 via its management networkconnection 406 a). Further still, the networking device 404 a mayoperate to forward coordinated configuration initiation messages(received from the management device 402 via its management networkconnection 406 a) to the networking device 502, and the networkingdevice 502 may operate to determine whether a coordinated configurationinitiation message has been received in order to determine whether theother networking devices have received their respective networkingdevice configurations.

If, at decision block 606, the first networking device determines thatother networking devices have not received their respective networkingdevice configurations, the method 600 returns to decision block 606 insubstantially the same manner as discussed above with reference to themethod 600. As such, if the coordinated configuration engine 304 in thenetworking device 300/502 determines that the other networking deviceshave not received their respective networking device configurations, themethod 600 may loop back through decision block 606 substantially asdiscussed above. If, at decision block 606, the first networking devicedetermines that other networking devices have received their respectivenetworking device configurations, the method 600 then proceeds to block608 where the first networking device performs coordinated configurationoperations using its first networking device configuration while each ofthe other networking devices perform coordinated configurationoperations using their respective networking device configurations insubstantially the same manner as discussed above with reference to themethod 600. As such, at block 608 the networking device 404 a and thenetworking device 502 may perform coordinated configuration operationsin substantially the same manner as discussed above.

As discussed above, conventional network configuration techniques mayresult in issues when configuring links between networking devices intoa LAG, as configuration commands will cause the ports on a firstnetworking device to “go down” in order to form the LAG, and then waitfor the configuration of the ports on the second networking device(which provide the corresponding plurality of links to the firstnetworking device) in the LAG. Then, when the network management systemattempts to provide the second networking device a second configuration(i.e., that would configure the ports on the second networking device toprovide their corresponding links in the LAG), it will be unable to doso because the port on the first networking device that provide themanagement link to the second switch is “down” and waiting for theconfiguration of the second switch port that provides that managementlink. However, the coordinated network configuration system 400 solvessuch issues by providing each of the networking devices 404 a and 502their respective networking device configurations prior to performingconfiguration operations, and then performs coordinated configurationoperations to configure at least a subset of the links 504 a-504 c intoa LAG at the same time (or substantially the same time) such thatcommunication between the management device 402 and the networkingdevice 502 is not disabled in a manner that prevents the completion ofthe configuration of the subset of links 504 a-504 c. For example, thecoordinated configuration operations by the networking device 404 a andthe networking device 502 may cause ports that provide either side ofany of the links 504 a-504 c to “go down” and thus preventcommunications, but because the application of the networking deviceconfigurations is occurring at the same or substantially the same time,those ports on either side of any of the links 504 a-504 c will “comeup” and see a matching port configuration opposite their link so thatcommunications are once again enabled.

Thus, the method 700 provides for the distribution of networking deviceconfigurations to a plurality of networking devices (e.g., including atleast one networking device without a direct management networkconnection to a management device), and the application of at least aportion of those networking device configurations by those networkingdevices in a coordinated manner such that those portions of networkingdevice configurations are applied to those networking devices at thesame time or substantially the same time. The application of thenetworking device configurations to respective networking devices at thesame or substantially the same time is performed in order to apply thoseconfigurations while not causing issues such as the disablement ofcommunications between those networking devices and the managementdevice in a manner that prevents the remaining configuration of those(or other) networking devices in the network. As such, the coordinatedconfiguration performed using at least a portion of the networkingdevice configurations may be designed such that even if coordinatedconfiguration operations temporarily disable communications, they do soin a way that does not prevent the completion of the configuration ofthe network without the need for user or administrator intervention(i.e., an automated remote network configuration.)

Referring now to FIG. 8, another embodiment of the methods of thepresent disclosure is illustrated. The method 800 begins at block 602where a first networking device receives a first networking deviceconfiguration from a management device in substantially the same manneras discussed above with reference to the method 600. The method 800 thenproceeds to block 802 where the first networking device receives atleast one respective networking device configuration for at least oneother networking device. In some embodiments, at block 802 thenetworking device(s) may receive the at least one respective networkingdevice configuration for the at least one other networking device fromthe management device 402. For example, the management engine 204 in themanagement device 200/402 may retrieve networking device configurationsfor the networking devices 404 a and 502 from its configuration database206, and provide those networking device configurations through themanagement network connection 406 a (via its communication subsystem208) to the networking device 404 a. As such, at block 802 thecoordinated configuration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 amay receive the networking device configurations for itself and thenetworking device 502 through its communication subsystem 308.

In other embodiments, at block 802 the networking device(s) may receivethe at least one respective networking device configuration for the atleast one other networking device from those networking device(s). Forexample, the management engine 204 in the management device 200/402 mayretrieve a networking device configuration for the networking device 404b from its configuration database 206 and provide that networking deviceconfiguration through the management network connection 406 b (via itscommunication subsystem 208) to the networking device 404 b. Thecoordinated configuration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 bmay then send that networking device configuration through one or moreof the links 408 a-408 c to the networking device 404 a. As such, atblock 802 the coordinated configuration engine 304 in the networkingdevice 300/404 a may receive the networking device configuration for thenetworking device 404 b through its communication subsystem 308.

In different embodiments, any networking device in the coordinatednetwork configuration systems 400 and/or 500 may receive networkingdevice configurations for one or more networking devices at block 802.For example, with reference to the coordinated network configurationsystem 500, at block 802 the networking device 404 a may only receivethe networking device configuration for the networking device 502.However, in another example, at block 802 the networking device 404 amay receive the networking device configurations for the networkingdevice 502 and the networking device 404 b. Furthermore, in yet anotherexample, at block 802 the networking device 404 a may receive thenetworking device configurations for the networking device 502, as wellas each of the networking devices 404 b and up to 404 c (e.g., all ofthe networking devices in the coordinated network configuration system500.) As such, one of skill in the art in possession of the presentdisclosure will recognize that, at block 802, any of the networkingdevices may receive networking device configurations from one othernetworking device, from directly connected networking devices, and/orfrom any or all of the networking devices in the coordinated networkconfiguration system while remaining within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

The method 800 then proceeds to decision block 804 where the firstnetworking device determines whether coordinated configurationoperations will prevent communication with the management device. In anembodiment, at decision block 804, any networking device that receivednetworking device configuration(s) for at least one other networkingdevice may operate to determine whether coordinated configurationoperations (discussed above with reference to block 608 of the methods600 and 700) will cause configuration issues such as preventingcommunications with the management device. For example, at decisionblock 804 the coordinated configuration engine 304 in the networkingdevice 300/404 a may operate to determine whether coordinatedconfiguration operations using the networking configurations for each ofthe networking devices 404 a, 404 b, and 502 will prevent communicationbetween the management device 402 and any of the networking devices 404a, 404 b, and/or 502.

In an embodiment, the determination of whether coordinated configurationoperations will prevent communication between any of the networkingdevices and the management device may include determining whether theMTU size is set inconsistently across networking devices (which canresult in a loss of communications). In another embodiment, thedetermination of whether coordinated configuration operations willprevent communication between any of the networking devices and themanagement device may include determining whether STP characteristicsare incorrectly applied (e.g., determining whether an interface betweennetworking devices is designated as an edge port (e.g., portfast withBridge Data Protocol Unit (BDPU)-Guard) and will cause that interface tobe put in an error state that shuts down that interface.) In anotherembodiment, the determination of whether coordinated configurationoperations will prevent communication between any of the networkingdevices and the management device may include determining whether anon-native VLAN is being used for in-band management traffic and thatVLAN is not allowed on all interfaces throughout the link to themanagement system (which can prevent traffic from reaching itsdestination on that link). While a few specific examples have beenprovided, one of skill in the art in possession of the presentdisclosure will recognize a variety of other determinations that may bemade in order to identify whether coordinated configuration operationswill prevent communication (or any other issues) between any of thenetworking devices and the management device.

For example, at decision block 804 the networking devices may use thenetworking device configurations (or information about those networkingdevices configurations that does not necessarily utilize the completeset of commands in those networking device configurations) to determinewhether communications between the networking devices (or between themanagement device and any networking device) remain available, whetherVLANs configured on the networking device are correct, whether MaximumTransmission Units (MTUs) provided via those networking deviceconfigurations correspond, and/or to determine a variety of otherconfiguration characteristics known in the art. In a specific example,at decision block 804, one or more of the networking devices in thenetwork may determine whether the networking device configurations arecompatible by making sure a path for a VLAN reaches an endpoint via anysubset of the networking devices. In another embodiment, at block 804 itmay be determined that directly connected interfaces on networkingdevices are consistent by ensuring that a checklist of features andsettings on those interfaces match and are complementary and compliantwith standard configuration practices. For example, if a first trunkinterface on a first networking device allows access to VLAN 5, and adirectly connected second trunk interface on a second networking devicedoes not allow access to VLAN 5, that inconsistency will be detected(particularly if VLAN 5 is a designated management VLAN required forcommunication to the other networking devices.) In yet other examples ofblock 804, the networking devices 404 a-404 c and/or 502 may operate toanalyze directly connected ports and flag inconsistent configurationsbetween those interfaces, and if there is an inconsistency then thosenetworking devices may would the management device 402 and/or the useror administrator (and, in some examples, stop the application ofcoordinated configuration operations.)

If, at decision block 804, the first networking device determines thatcoordinated configuration operations will prevent communication with themanagement device, the method 800 proceeds to block 806 where the firstnetworking device may send a message that identifies the configurationissue determined at decision block 804 and/or requests that thecoordination configuration operations be stopped. In an embodiment, anynetworking device in the coordinated network configuration systems 400and/or may determine, at decision block 804, that coordinatedconfiguration operations will prevent communications with the managementdevice 402 and, in response, send a message that identifies theconfiguration issue and/or requests that the coordination configurationoperations be stopped at block 806. For example, at block 806, thecoordinated configuration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 amay send a message through the management network connection 406 a (viaits communication subsystem 308) to the management device 402 thatidentifies the configuration issue and/or requests that the coordinationconfiguration operations be stopped.

The management engine 204 in the management device 200/402 may thenreceive that message via its communication subsystem 308 and, inresponse, stop (or not start) coordinated configuration operations. Insome examples, the management device 200/402 may send a message to oneor more of the networking devices to stop coordinated configurationoperations. In another example, at block 806, the coordinatedconfiguration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 a may send amessage through the links 408 a-408 c and/or the links 504 a-504 c (viaits communication subsystem 308) to the networking devices 404 b and/or502 that identifies the configuration issue and/or requests that thecoordination configuration operations be stopped. In addition, thecoordinated configuration engine 304 in the networking device 300/404 athat identifies the configuration issue and/or requests that thecoordination configuration operations be stopped, may provide themessage to stop coordinated configuration operations through the links408 a-408 c to the networking devices 404 b for forwarding to the othernetworking devices (e.g., the networking devices up to networking device404 c), or the coordinated configuration engine 304 in the networkingdevice 300/404 b may, upon receiving the message to stop coordinatedconfiguration operations from the networking device 404 a, may then sendits own message to stop coordinated configuration operations to theother networking devices (e.g., the networking devices up to networkingdevice 404 c.)

In different embodiments, the stopping of the coordinated configurationoperations (i.e., in response to the message(s) sent at block 806) maybe applied to different networking devices in the coordinated networkconfiguration systems. In some embodiments, the message(s) to stopcoordinated configuration operations at block 806 may be sent to everynetworking device in the coordinated network configuration system inorder to stop all coordinated configuration operations. As such, uponreceiving the message to stop coordinated configuration operations, thecoordinated configuration engine 304 in each of the networking devicesmay operate to stop (or not begin performing) the coordinatedconfiguration operations discussed above with reference to block 608.However, in some embodiments, the message(s) to stop coordinatedconfiguration operations at block 806 may be sent to a subset of thenetworking devices in the coordinated network configuration system inorder to stop coordinated configuration operations. For example,message(s) to stop coordinated configuration operations at block 806 mayonly be sent to networking devices for which it has been determined thatcoordinated configuration operations will prevent communications withthe management device 402. In another example, message(s) to stopcoordinated configuration operations at block 806 may only be sent tonetworking devices that are directly connected to a networking devicethat has determined that coordinated configuration operations willprevent communications with the management device 402. As such, uponreceiving the message to stop coordinated configuration operations, thecoordinated configuration engines 304 in a subset of the networkingdevices may operate to stop (or not begin performing) the coordinatedconfiguration operations discussed above with reference to block 608.While a few examples have been provided, one of skill in the art inpossession of the present disclosure will recognize that any number orcombination of networking devices in a network may be stopped orprevented from performing coordinated configuration operations at block806 to ensure that each of the networking devices in the coordinatednetwork configuration system may be remotely configured without the needfor user intervention.

If, at decision block 804, the first networking device determines thatcoordinated configuration operations will not prevent communication withthe management device, the method 600 then proceeds to decision block606 where the first networking device determines whether othernetworking devices have received their respective networking deviceconfigurations in substantially the same manner as discussed above withreference to the method 600. If, at decision block 606, the firstnetworking device determines that other networking devices have notreceived their respective networking device configurations, the method600 returns to decision block 606 in substantially the same manner asdiscussed above with reference to the method 600. If, at decision block606, the first networking device determines that other networkingdevices have received their respective networking device configurations,the method 600 then proceeds to block 608 where the first networkingdevice performs coordinated configuration operations using its firstnetworking device configuration while each of the other networkingdevices perform coordinated configuration operations using theirrespective networking device configurations in substantially the samemanner as discussed above with reference to the method 600.

In some embodiments, the coordinated configuration operations mayprovide configuration changes that are enabled but not committed (i.e.,the coordinated configuration operations may be performed after all ofthe networking devices have received their networking deviceconfigurations, but may also be reverted back if not committed to byrebooting each fo the networking devices. (this is not an currentfeature of many switches without rebooting the switch). In anotherembodiment, the networking devices may autonomously use troubleshootingfeatures (e.g., ping, traceroute, etc.) to provide validation that aconfiguration change, or a new corrected configuration, maintains thecommunication path between each networking device and the managementdevice. The networking devices may also be configured to reportvalidation or other statistics back to the management device to helpwith performance issues and, if an issue occurs, the configuration maybe reverted back to previous configuration without a need for reboot. Inanother embodiment, a test packet to be used in the validation of thenetworking device configurations that are being applied. For example,the test packet may be designed by a user or administrator tospecifically test out if an Access Control List (ACL) is working asexpected (e.g., if a packet that is designed to be blocked is actuallyblocked) and if an issue is found, configuration may be reverted back toa previous configuration without a need for reboot. In some embodiments,the networking devices may operate to correct errors associated withnetworking device configurations, and then use those correctednetworking device configurations to configure themselves. In suchembodiments, the error correction and automatic configuration may berequired to be error-free to ensure that incorrect configurationoperations do not raise security issues, and any automatic configurationchanges may be flagged for review so that the user or administrator canensure security policies are reflected in the automatic changes and canimmediately correct any issues if they are present.

Thus, the method 800 provides for provides for the distribution ofnetworking device configurations to a plurality of networking devices,as well as the determination of whether the application of thosenetworking device configurations by those networking devices will causecommunication issues that may prevent the complete configuration of thenetworking device in the network in a remote manner (i.e., with user oradministrator intervention.) Such determinations may prevent issues thatrequire onsite support by stopping configuration operations before thoseconfiguration operations can modify any networking device in a mannerthat prevent remote management of that networking device, and thusensure that when those configurations are applied in a coordinatedmanner they will not cause configuration issues such as the disablementof communications between those networking devices and the managementdevice in a manner that prevents the remaining configuration of those(or other) networking devices in the network.

Thus, systems and methods have been described that provide forconfiguration of networking devices in a network in a remote mannerwithout the need for onsite support to deal with conventional issuesthat typically arise using conventional configuration techniques. Thismay be accomplished, at least in part, by providing each networkingdevice configuration to its respective networking device prior tobeginning any configuration operations. Furthermore, in someembodiments, one or more networking devices in the network may analyzeits networking device configuration as well as one or more networkingdevices configuration provided for other networking devices in thenetwork (e.g., networking devices to which it is directly connected),and determine whether the application of those networking deviceconfiguration will cause any configuration issues such as communicationproblems with the management device. As such, the application of anyconfigurations that may prevent remote access to any of the networkingdevices in the network may be prevented to ensure that each of thenetworking devices in the network may be controlled and/or configuredremotely from a management device. Furthermore, at least a subset of thenetworking device may operate to apply at least a portion of theirnetworking device configurations in a coordinated manner (e.g., at thesame time or at substantially the same time) to ensure remote networkconfiguration may be completed.

Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a widerange of modification, change and substitution is contemplated in theforegoing disclosure and in some instances, some features of theembodiments may be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims beconstrued broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of theembodiments disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A coordinated network configuration system,comprising: a management network; a management device that is coupled tothe management network and that is configured to provision networkingdevice configurations through the management network; and a plurality ofnetworking devices, wherein a first networking device of the pluralitynetworking devices is coupled to the management device through themanagement network, and wherein the first networking device isconfigured to: receive, from the management device through themanagement network, a first networking device configuration; store thefirst networking device configuration; and determine that each of theplurality of networking devices have received respective networkingdevice configurations and, in response, perform coordinatedconfiguration operations using the first networking device configurationwhile each of the others of the plurality of networking devices performsthe coordinated configuration operations using their respectivenetworking device configurations.
 2. The coordinated networkconfiguration system of claim 1, further comprising: a second networkingdevice of the plurality of networking devices, wherein the secondnetworking device is coupled to the first networking device through atleast one link, and wherein the first networking device is configuredto: receive, from the management device through the management network,a second networking device configuration; and provide, to the secondnetworking device through the at least one link, the second networkingdevice configuration, wherein the second networking device is configuredto: determine that each of the plurality of networking devices havereceived their respective networking device configurations and, inresponse, perform the coordinated configuration operations using thesecond networking device configuration while the first networking deviceperforms the coordinated configuration operations using the firstnetworking device configuration such that the at least one link isconfigured.
 3. The coordinated network configuration system of claim 2,wherein the at least one link includes a plurality of links that couplethe first networking device to the second networking device, and whereinthe configuration of the at least one link includes the configuration ofthe plurality of links in a Link Aggregation Group (LAG).
 4. Thecoordinated network configuration system of claim 1, further comprising:a second networking device of the plurality of networking devices,wherein the second networking device is coupled to the management devicethrough the management network, and wherein the second networking deviceis configured to: receive, from the management device through themanagement network, a second networking device configuration; store thesecond networking device configuration; and determine that each of theplurality of networking devices have received their respectivenetworking device configurations and, in response, perform coordinatedconfiguration operations using the second networking deviceconfiguration while each of the others of the plurality of networkingdevices performs the coordinated configuration operations using theirrespective networking device configurations.
 5. The coordinated networkconfiguration system of claim 1, wherein the first networking device isconfigured to: analyze at least one of the respective networking deviceconfigurations for at least one of the plurality of networking devicesand, in response, determine whether the coordinated configurationoperations using the first networking device configuration and the atleast one of the respective networking device configurations willprevent communication between the management device and either of thefirst networking device and the at least one of the plurality ofnetworking devices; and perform the coordinated configuration operationsusing the first networking device configuration in response todetermining that the coordinated configuration operations using thefirst networking device configuration and the at least one of therespective networking device configurations will not preventcommunication between the management device and either of the firstnetworking device and the at least one of the plurality of networkingdevices.
 6. The coordinated network configuration system of claim 1,wherein the first networking device is configured to: determine thateach of the plurality of networking devices have received theirrespective networking device configurations in response to determiningthat a period of time has passed following the receiving of the firstnetworking device configuration.
 7. The coordinated networkconfiguration system of claim 1, wherein the first networking device isconfigured to: determine that each of the plurality of networkingdevices have received their respective networking device configurationsin response to receiving, from the management device through themanagement network, a coordinated configuration initiation message. 8.An Information Handling System (IHS) comprising: a communicationsubsystem; a processing system that is coupled to the communicationsubsystem; and a memory system that is coupled to the processing systemand that includes instruction that, when executed by the processingsystem, cause the processing system to provide a coordinatedconfiguration engine that is configured to: receive, through thecommunication subsystem from a management device via a managementnetwork, a first networking device configuration; store the firstnetworking device configuration; and determine that each of a pluralityof networking devices that are coupled to the management device havereceived respective networking device configurations and, in response,perform coordinated configuration operations using the first networkingdevice configuration while each of the others of the plurality ofnetworking devices performs the coordinated configuration operationsusing their respective networking device configurations.
 9. The IHS ofclaim 8, further comprising: a plurality of links that are provided bythe communication subsystem and that are coupled to a second networkingdevice that performs the coordinated configuration operations using asecond networking device configuration, wherein the coordinatedconfiguration operations using the first networking device configurationand the second networking device configuration operate to configure theplurality of links in a Link Aggregation Group (LAG).
 10. The IHS ofclaim 8, wherein the coordinated configuration engine is configured to:receive, through the communication subsystem from the management devicevia the management network, a second networking device configuration;and provide, through the communication subsystem to the secondnetworking device via at least one link, the second networking deviceconfiguration that provides the respective networking deviceconfiguration used by the second networking device to perform thecoordinated configuration operations.
 11. The IHS of claim 8, whereinthe coordinated configuration engine is configured to: analyze at leastone of the respective networking device configurations for at least oneof the plurality of networking devices and, in response, determinewhether the coordinated configuration operations using the firstnetworking device configuration and the at least one of the respectivenetworking device configurations will prevent communication between themanagement device and either of the first networking device and the atleast one of the plurality of networking devices; and perform thecoordinated configuration operations using the first networking deviceconfiguration in response to determining that the coordinatedconfiguration operations using the first networking device configurationand the at least one of the respective networking device configurationswill not prevent communication between the management device and eitherof the first networking device and the at least one of the plurality ofnetworking devices.
 12. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the determinationthat each of the plurality of networking devices have received theirrespective networking device configurations is performed in response todetermining that a period of time has passed following the receiving ofthe first networking device configuration.
 13. The IHS of claim 8,wherein the determination that each of the plurality of networkingdevices have received their respective networking device configurationsis performed in response to receiving, through the communicationsubsystem from the management device via the management network, acoordinated configuration initiation message.
 14. A method forcoordinated configuration of a network, comprising: receiving, by afirst networking device through a management network from a managementdevice, a first networking device configuration; storing, by the firstnetworking device, the first networking device configuration; anddetermining, by the first networking device, that each of a plurality ofnetworking devices that are coupled to the management device havereceived respective networking device configurations and, in response,performing coordinated configuration operations using the firstnetworking device configuration while each of the others of theplurality of networking devices performs the coordinated configurationoperations using their respective networking device configurations. 15.The method of claim 14, further comprising: receiving, by the firstnetworking device through the management network from the managementdevice, a second networking device configuration; providing, by thefirst networking device through at least one link to the secondnetworking device, the second networking device configuration; anddetermining, by the second networking device, that each of the pluralityof networking devices have received their respective networking deviceconfigurations and, in response, performing the coordinatedconfiguration operations using the second networking deviceconfiguration while the first networking device performs the coordinatedconfiguration operations using the first networking device configurationto configure at least one link that couples the first networking deviceto the second networking device.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein theat least one link includes a plurality of links that couple the firstnetworking device to the second networking device, and wherein theconfiguration of the at least one link includes the configuration of theplurality of links in a Link Aggregation Group (LAG).
 17. The method ofclaim 14, further comprising: receiving, by a second networking devicethrough the management network from the management device, a secondnetworking device configuration; storing, by the second networkingdevice, the second networking device configuration; and determining, bythe second networking device, that each of the plurality of networkingdevices have received their respective networking device configurationsand, in response, performing coordinated configuration operations usingthe second networking device configuration while each of the others ofthe plurality of networking devices performs the coordinatedconfiguration operations using their respective networking deviceconfigurations.
 18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:analyzing, by the first networking device, at least one of therespective networking device configurations for at least one of theplurality of networking devices and, in response, determining whetherthe coordinated configuration operations using the first networkingdevice configuration and the at least one of the respective networkingdevice configurations will prevent communication between the managementdevice and either of the first networking device and the at least one ofthe plurality of networking devices; and performing, by the firstnetworking device, the coordinated configuration operations using thefirst networking device configuration in response to determining thatthe coordinated configuration operations using the first networkingdevice configuration and the at least one of the respective networkingdevice configurations will not prevent communication between themanagement device and either of the first networking device and the atleast one of the plurality of networking devices.
 19. The method ofclaim 14, further comprising: determining, by the first networkingdevice, that each of the plurality of networking devices have receivedtheir respective networking device configurations in response todetermining that a period of time has passed following the receiving ofthe first networking device configuration.
 20. The method of claim 14,further comprising: determining, by the first networking device, thateach of the plurality of networking devices have received theirrespective networking device configurations in response to receiving, bythe first networking device through the management network from themanagement device, a coordinated configuration initiation message.